In A Field Of Their Own: Arcadia

June 17, 2011

Picture by Paul Holmes

In our latest Q&A with an organiser of one of Glastonbury’s fields/venues, we catch up with Pip Rush from Arcadia.

1. How would you describe your area of the Festival to someone who hasn’t visited it before?
It’s a late night area, which hosts a huge 360-degree stage in the centre. The stage is sculpted from scrap and combines, lights, flames, lasers, circus performance, and bolts of lightning!

It has a fine line-up of music from 6pm onward, and the stage and all its effects will come to life during the spectacular at midnight.

2. Have you made any changes/additions for this year?
There are lots of new ridiculous plans unfolding at the moment, you’ll have to come and see which we pull off!

3. Which of your acts are you most excited about in 2011?
It will be great to see the midnight spectacular finally come together; hundreds of artists, performers and technicians have been working on different elements of it – plus it is a one-off exclusive to Glastonbury this year, so they will be three unique moments for those that get there.

A couple of musical highlights will be a phat DJ set by Orbital on Saturday night, and I’m really looking forward to Sundays Rootsy lineup including Soom-T & mungo’s Hifi!

4. Do you have any good food recommendations in and around your area?
We’ve got great burgers from our local organic farm, which will be in the fire corner of our field.

5. How/when did you first get involved with the Festival?
My first memory of Glastonbury was sitting in my pram watching my brother dive off the top of a truck in to the mud as an opening to Mutoid Waste show.

I went on to work with them until a few years ago when I started collaboration a friend Bertie Cole, an amazing engineer who had been working for Kayam building concert structures.

The two of us have been making bigger and bigger things and Michael has been giving us more and more space.

6. What’s the best thing about running an area at Glastonbury?
That’s a hard one, perhaps all the creative people who turn up in our field every year wanting to give everything they can to help push the boundaries to see what’s possible. Or the moment when we see the audience first arrive and climb and dance on it like it belongs to them…

But then the feeling of mass unity on the Sunday night is probably tops it all.

7. And what’s the worst?
Not being able to leave all my responsibilities at the gate like everyone else!

8. Is there anything outside your area at this year’s Festival that you’re particularly looking forward to?
Mostly i really enjoy wandering around and stumbling on all the little personal things, they make the Festival for me.

9. What’s the best performance you’ve ever seen at Glastonbury?
A MASSIVE spontaneous mud fight.

10. Finally, what’s your top Glastonbury tip for people coming to the Festival for the first time?
Turn your phone off, lose your tent… enjoy the ride!